Alan Shearer has called for Manchester City and the rest of the ‘Big Six’ to be banned from the Premier League with immediate effect.

The BBC pundit says that the other clubs must come down hard on City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham to send a message that their plans for the Super League are not welcome:

“The Super League have chucked a grenade at the Premier League and to everyone else. Well, chuck one back. Ban them. Ban them immediately if you can. I am sure they will look at every possible legal angle and what pressure they are under in doing that but if you can, do it. Absolutely.”

A board meeting between the other 14 Premier League teams was held today, with a statement being published this afternoon stating that they are “considering all actions available” to them to “prevent” the Super League from going ahead.

Simply banning City and the other clubs may not be that helpful, though, as it would give them the justification they need to form a new competition, much like what happened in 1992 when the Premier League broke away from the Football League.

Pressure from supporters to pull out of the Super League may well be the best avenue to go down as club owners are unlikely to be swayed by rival teams or governing bodies such as UEFA.